


Houses Apart

by AlohomoraHearts



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-10-12 20:49:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10499211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlohomoraHearts/pseuds/AlohomoraHearts
Summary: Harry Potter is becoming desperate. He knows he needs to work fast, Voldemort is in possession of the Philosopher's Stone and could gain his full power at any moment and he has nothing but a years-worth of magic to protect him. A concern which his fellow Slytherin's do not seem to share. He is alone and unsupported. That is before a bushy-haired Ravenclaw and a tall, redheaded Hufflepuff offer their own means of support.





	1. Blue House

**Author's Note:**

> In this AU, everything up until Harry was sorted is canon. The events that happened for the rest of his first year will be implied, but the actual story starts two months into his second year.
> 
> Warning: There is mild adult language.

“Come on, Harry, we need to go” Pansy sighed.  
“No, I am not done yet.” Harry responded, clenching his teeth as he attempted the spell again.  
Pansy rolled her eyes.  
“Just go on the Great Hall. I’ll meet you all there.” He said, gesturing to the rest of the Slytherins who were waiting on him. With a series of sighs and laughter, they filtered out of the room with the rest of the Ravenclaws.  
Harry returned his focus on the frog that was sitting on his desk. It was clear like glass, but still clearly in the shape of a frog. He took a deep breath and read back over his notes again. He looked over at Professor McGonagall, she was talking to a girl with large bushy hair. Harry recalled that her name was long and complicated and that she was a constant source of amusement for the other Slytherins. Pansy refers to her as a mudblood.  
He tries once again to focus, waving his wand with force and determination  
“Vera Verto” he said, trying to stay calm.  
The frog twitched uncomfortably for a second or two then morphed into a small jar.  
Harry banged his hands on his desk in frustration. The sudden noise cause the girl and McGonagall to turn towards him in surprise.  
“Mr. Potter, there is no need for that behavior! The desk has nothing to do with your ability to transfigure so I suggest you stop taking your anger out on it.” She said with her usual strict demeanor. With a sweeping of her robes, she walked up to his desk.  
“Sorry, Professor.” Harry muttered, looking up at her.  
“I suggest you take a break and go down to the Great Hall. We can try again tomorrow, a jar is close enough to a goblet for today.” She said with a hint of a kind smile.  
If Harry was not mistaken, their seemed to be something like pity in her eyes. She took the jar off his desk. Harry clenched his fists but nodded.  
“Yes, Professor.”  
Harry roughly packed up his things and headed out of the classroom. Before he progressed very far towards the Great Hall he heard the shuffling of feet behind him. He turned around to see the Ravenclaw girl trying to catch up to him.  
He considered quickening his pace for a second, he did not know if he was in the mood to deal with this know-it-all. However, he decided against it and kept his pace. The girl caught up to him in a couple of seconds and kept his stride. Her hair seemed even bigger when it was up this close. She took a deep breath.  
“Harry,” She started, “If you need any help with you Transfiguration, I would be more than happy to help you.”  
“Why would you think I need any help? I am doing just as well as you are.” Harry said shortly.  
The girl wrinkled her nose at his temper but it did not dissuade her from continuing.  
“Yes, you are. However, you seem to want to be learning more. I got Professor McGonagall to lend me some of her books and I got some from the library. I can show you them if...” She started.  
“Look.” Harry said, cutting her off, “I really do not think I need your help. Thanks for the offer, Herm....”  
“Hermione. And ever since You-Know-Who came back last year, you have been working extra hard. I figured I could offer you some help or advice.”  
Harry was taken aback by her bluntness. He could also feel the cold, blunt fear that rose in his throat every time that name was mentioned.  
“I do not need your help.” Harry insisted, swallowing hard to try to keep his panic from showing.  
Hermione put her head up.  
“Fine. Just let me know.” She said, before quickening her pace.  
Harry watched as Hermione and her bushy hair rushed past him.  
He entered the Great Hall and headed immediately over to the Slytherin table. He could already see Pansy and Millicent waving him over. He took a moment to put on a convincing fake smile then headed over to the green-clad table.


	2. Yellow House

“Damn Potter, you are trying way to hard in your classes.” Blaise Zabini laughed as Harry sat down at the table.   
“He has to be the best.” Theodore Nott teased, handing Harry a large pastry.  
Harry responded with a half-hearted chuckle and took the pastry.   
“Or he’s just that idiotic.” A cruel voice said from further down the table.   
The group turned to see Draco, sitting by himself. His there were dark circles under his eyes as usual, partially obscured by his blonde bangs. He propped his boots up on the banquet table.   
“Oh shove off, Malfoy. You are just bitter because you can’t even turn a matchstick into a needle.” Daphne Greengrass giggled,” Or make the quidditch team.”  
Draco’s face flushed red but he just shrugged. He leaned back further in his seat.  
“Where’s your thugs?” Theodore asked him with a smirk, “Did they get lost on their way to the Great Hall, again?”   
Harry smiled slightly as the rest of the Slytherin’s laughed.   
“Maybe they have better places to be than hanging out with you lot. I do.” Draco hissed, then got up to leave.  
The group laughed for a couple seconds longer than turned their conversation back to the quidditch game that was going to happen this weekend. Harry was not really listening. Instead his eyes wandered back to Hermione at the Ravenclaw table. She was leaning was clearly in a very heated discussion with two other Ravenclaw. One of them was pointing angrily at a textbook while the other was looking through her notes. Hermione was gesturing wildly with her fork. Harry smiled slightly.   
“What do you think, Harry?” Blaise asked, nudging him on the shoulder.   
“Oh…um…sorry, what?”   
“We are going to destroy the Hufflepuffs on Saturday, right?” He repeated.   
“Oh yeah, of course.” Harry smiled “We’ve been training really hard this week. I think we are going to kill them”   
“You better, Potter. I bet thirty galleons on this game. Plus, if we lose to the Hufflepuffs, the Gryffindors will never fucking let it go.” An upper-year Slytherin, Graham Montague, said, slapping Harry hard on the back,  
Harry flinched slightly at the sudden impact but smiled back.   
He glanced back at Hermione, who seemed to be wrapping up their discussion, then tried once again to focus on the conversation at hand. He almost managed to pay attention for the rest of the conversation about Zabini’s latest girlfriend, a French witch who apparently went to beauxbatons. Harry was amused but did not offer much to the conversation but one or to teasing comments.  
As soon as he finished his meal, he got up and rushed off to the next class He got to the potions room before the rest of his peers and had some time alone to read over his transfiguration notes.   
Soon, the other students began to filter into the room. The Hufflepuffs trickled in first. They always seemed to travel as a pack. A very excited, friendly pack. They were followed soon after by some Slytherin’s. He noted as Zabini and Pansy sat down next to him while Draco sat as far away as possible, now joined by his bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle.  
The chatter from the Hufflepuffs immediately stopped as Professor Snape entered the room.   
“Turn your pages to page 116.” He said, Harry was always amazed that Snape could command such attention when he barely spoke above a whisper.   
The sound of ruffling page echoes through the dungeon as they all flipped to the page.  
“Harry, can you tell me the ingredients for the swelling solution we are going to be making today?” He asked, not looking at Harry.  
Harry thought for a moment, remembering the book he had read a couple of days ago.  
“Bat spleens, dried nettles, and puffer-fish eyes.” He said after a moment.  
“Impeccable, as usual, Harry. Ten points to Slytherin.” He nodded then continued to lecture.   
As the lecture continued, Harry noticed the group of Hufflepuffs at the table behind them began to laugh, Harry tried to remain focused on Professor Snape, but it began to be increasingly hard as the group began to raise their volume even more.   
Suddenly, Snape turned to look at them. Everyone at the table immediately stopped except the tall red-head that seemed to be leading the joke. He smiled at Professor Snape, still giggling slightly.   
“Mr. Weasley, would you like to enlighten the class on what is more important than my lecture?” He hissed, danger in every word.   
Harry recognized the Hufflepuff as Ron Weasley, he remembered they has spent the train ride to Hogwarts together during his first year. He was the first friend Harry had ever made, if he did not count Hagrid or the spiders in his cupboard. However, they drifted apart after being Sorted into different houses and with all the chaos of Voldemort’s return. Harry could barely remember the last time they had talked.  
To the surprise of everyone in the class, Ron chuckled then straightened up.   
“Well you see, a goblin, centaur, and a Warlock walk into a wand shop…” He started, ignoring the horrified looks of his peers.  
“Hold your tongue!” Snape snapped.  
“But, you said…” Ron started with a smirk.   
“You are to be relocated to Harry’s table, and so help me, if you make anymore ruckus you will be cleaning the floors of the dungeons for weeks.” He hissed, “Blaise, switch places with Mr. Weasley.”   
Blaise groaned slightly but changed places. Harry shrugged at him sympathetically. Ron sat down next to Harry, he turned at him and smiled.  
Ron’s face seemed to always be smiling and always surrounded by people. However, it also seemed like he does not really care about anything other than talking to those people. Harry had the distinct feeling that he was failing all his classes, and that Ron was not bothered by it in the slightest.  
Snape finished up the lesson and they started to make their swelling solution.   
“Alrighty then, what do we do, Harry?” Ron smiled, leaning over to look at Harry’s textbook. Harry was taken aback by the warmth in Ron’s voice. It was not the voice of a person talking to an acquaintance, it was the voice you use when you are talking to an old friend.   
“Umm...well we should start with the bat spleens.” Harry decided.   
“Disgusting…” Ron laughed.  
Harry could not help but laugh.  
“Yeah… they are pretty disgusting.”

**Author's Note:**

> One of my favorite concepts in Harry Potter is that it has a very strong theme of the power of individual and independent choices. Following this, I believe all the main three, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, were sorted into Gryffindor because that is where they wanted to be. They all chose that they wanted to be brave, rather than they were sorted into it because they were brave. 
> 
> I am planning on this being a short, three chapter series, however, I am having a lot of fun and might do more. Let me know what you think!


End file.
